


First

by Ferret_With_Guns



Series: Time Loop Chronicles [1]
Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Time Travel, explicit content later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-01
Updated: 2015-07-09
Packaged: 2018-03-26 14:37:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3854371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ferret_With_Guns/pseuds/Ferret_With_Guns
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After meeting Hide in the sewers during the Raid on Anteiku, Kaneki Ken's is thrown back to the day he meet Rize. Hoping to avoid the fate the he faced originally, Kaneki tries to sever the strings that bound him to the tragedy that we all know.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wake

Light. Blinding light. Even with eyes closed it still hurt. Static noise everywhere. A thousand broken radios blaring in ears. The pain lasts for what feels like an eternity.

Silence.Darkness. Nothing.

Friendly chatter, gentle sunlight, the pleasant scent of coffee. A television plays from behind. All so familiar.

“-encing a search of the surrounding area,” a newscaster's voice started to come into focus. “There are fears of an “Eater” attacking the city of Tokyo, but what are they actually like? Today we ask Dr. Ogura, a researcher who studies “Eater” types.”

“Scary, the Takada Building’s pretty close to here…” Hide’s voice echoed. Everything still sounded far away. “You’d be eaten up in a second Kaneki, a scrawny kid like you who’s always reading incomprehensible books.”

“Wh-what do you me-” Kaneki stopped before continuing. The world came full vividness after the words left his mouth. He looked around trying to make heads or tails of the situation. Wasn’t he just in the sewers with Hide while a fight against Aogiri and the CCG up above? Wasn’t Anteiku in complete disarray, if not completely destroyed? Wasn’t it Winter and snowing out? “What’s going on?” He mumbled, eyes wide, not sure what’s going on. “This is a dream, right?”

“Um, Earth to Kaneki?” Hide said waving his hand in front the suddenly confused bookworm. “What the heck are you mumbling about anyways? Don’t tell me you’ve suddenly cold feet or something about the cute coffee shop girl you were telling me about.”

The words hit Kaneki like a bus. It can’t be that day. “Hide, what’s day is it?”

“Um, Wednesday,” Hide answer, confused the sudden change in mood.

“I mean the date.”

“September 30th. Why are you asking?”

The day he bumped into Rize and finally got to talk to her. They day they traded numbers. The day they agreed upon a bookstore date that Saturday. This can’t be real. Kaneki stood up suddenly and blurted out “I need to use the restroom,” quickly and maybe a little too loudly to Hide.

He dashed towards the bathroom, needing visual confirmation of what was happening. He burst through the door, exhaling with relief that no one was in there except himself. Looking into one of the bathroom sink mirrors, he saw a black haired, gray eyed, panicked, scrawny human boy. Just some normal, albeit younger looking than he actually was, eighteen year-old college student. He pulled his shirt finding a lack of a scar on his abdomen. This is him. This was him. This was him before everything became fucked up in his life. He turned on the cold tap, rolled up the sleeves of his jacket, cupped his hands to catch with cool water and splashed it onto his face. This felt real. The cold water dripping from his bangs onto his face and clothes felt real, or at least, he wanted to believe this was real.

Rolling down the jacket sleeves and made his way back to table where he and Hide were sitting in the cafe.

“Kirishima Touka,” said an all too familiar voice. An indigo haired waitress stood before he and Hide’s table taking Hide’s order. Kaneki didn’t have to guess what Hide’s next question was to the girl.

“Touka’s not the cafe girl I was talking about,” Kaneki said before Hide could ask Touka about her current relationship status and sat back down at the table. She held a confused expression as she watched Kaneki plop down into the chair.

“So Kirishima-san, do you have a boyfriend?” Hide said excited puppy dog eyes. Kaneki smacked his hand to his face and winced at the sting of hitting his face too hard. He should’ve known Hide would ask anyways. Touka looked like she been caught naked at the first day of school and was silent with shock and embarrassment. After about ten seconds she said “no” and scampered away as quickly as she could. “Oh I forgot to ask if you wanted anything Kaneki.”

“Hide, you’re going to get us kicked out for doing that!” Kaneki saids and sighed. “And it’s okay, I haven’t finished this cup yet anyways.”

“So if she wasn’t the girl, then who is it?” Hide implored just as the answer to that question walk in through the front door. A violet haired woman with matching eyes wearing lacy pastels with a top that seemed maybe a little tight the chest region.

“Her,” Kaneki said trying to hide his fear of knowing what she could do to him. “Hide, let’s get out of here.”

“Are that nervous around her that you’re going to tuck tail and run?” Hide said with a little chuckle. “Well it’s not like you had a shot with her in the first place. She’s a knockout even with the glasses. Imagine her without them, though. She probably transform right before your eyes.”

Kaneki got up from his chair along with Hide, Kaneki making a rush for the door, dragging Hide along with him. They walked down the steps from Anteiku and to the sidewalk.

“Well, at least I got to see the girl you’ve been fawning over,” Hide said. “Though running away from her might have been a bit much. Anyways, gotta go work.” Hide starting walking away and then shouted “By the way Kaneki, you forgot to pay for the food! I’ll pay you back tomorrow, but I have to move.”

Kaneki facepalmed for the second time in one hour as he remembered that out of the thought of leaving before ever got a chance to bump in him like she did before. Kaneki cursed and went back to the cafe to pay, not wanting to be known as a dine-and-dasher. He placed the money on table and realized that he left his stuff behind as well as not paying. Sighing, he picked up his bag and grabbed his book. 

Turning to leave, he felt another’s body collide with his own letting the book fly out of his hand and, thankfully, not on anyone and to the floor. “S-sorry!” Kaneki exclaimed and then his body went cold as he heard the voice of the person he had crashed into apologizing. Looking behind him was Rize Kamishiro on the ground picking her belongings that also scattered in the collision. Kaneki remained still as she picked up his copy of “Black Goat’s Egg”.

“Is this your book?” She said smiling at him. “I happen to be reading the same book and thought it was mine for a second. Do you enjoy his works as well? Takatsuki?”

Kaneki opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Nothing changed, but it was early enough in the game still have a chance at changing fate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a re-watch Steins;Gate, I got the idea to write this story. Well the situation would be more akin to Homura from Madoka Magica, with fate being unavoidable, no matter what you do. Although I have an idea on where this will go, I do want to implement a bit of a reader input of what should happen. So if you have any ideas, let me know. Not sure if there is actually going to be much of a ship at all in this story, or least in this round. As we reach the time of the Raid in the story, the timeline will reset leaving Kaneki trying to use his knowledge from the previous timelines. Also I'm working on story that will have almost complete reader control. It will have have an OC as the main focus so it would have more flexibility with reader chosen personality. It will be much like a CYOA (Choose Your Own Adventure) and it's a project I think would be a lot of fun. Please leave feedback!


	2. Choose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating for two months! I was busy school and then preping for a big con so I didn't as much time to write. Also writer's block is a hell of a thing. Enjoy!

The next hour and a half, Kaneki spent trying to get away from Rize without raising suspicion, but she was persistent. She was a good actor, he wondered if this was even the slightest facet of her real personality. Something inside him wanted to get to know her. The real her. The real Rize Kamishiro. Maybe it was that that kept Kaneki in conversation with Rize. Looking for her to break character, even if just a moment, to get to see what lay beyond the mask she wore for him. He was too far into conversation to leave, he had been there too long.

“I know it’s not really customary for a woman to ask, but we live in a modern society,” Rize said, playing shy and hugging her arms tightly around her chest. “I really want to get to know you better. Well, what I’m asking is an outting. A date of sorts.” She put up a pretty convincing show, her face lit up red and eyes focused away from Kaneki. “Since we both seem to like the same kind of books, perhaps one to a bookstore. Give each other recommendations.” She seemed to know all too much of what to say. Kaneki wondered if she had listened in on his conversations with Hide, or perhaps he was that easy to read.

He could feel his lips begin to disobey his better logic. “I would love to.” Kaneki internally swore up a storm after after those words left his mouth. He cursed his curiosity of Rize. Even though she did try to eat him alive and all, there was so much he didn’t know. It was more akin to the fascination a hard boiled detective has with bizarre serial killer that he was tracking in a lot of mystery novels and crime dramas.

“I think I’m free on Saturday,” Rize said as pulled out schedule book. Kaneki wondered if she had any other men that she was stringing along or if the planner was just for show.

“Saturday sounds fine,” Kaneki said regretting every syllable he made. He took out his cell phone, ready to give Rize his number and vise versa. After that he gathered his things, bidding Rize a goodbye and started to leave.

By chance as he was reaching the door, he managed to lock eyes with Touka. She gave him a look of pity, knowing what fate that was waiting for Kaneki, but not able to say anything without blowing her cover, nor did she really care. At this point in time, Touka only knew him as the whimpy kid who had a crush on the dangerous as hell Binge Eating Ghoul that had been wreaking havoc in the 20th ward. He was just another one of many humans that frequented Anteiku. The thought had crossed his mind to tell her, but who believe that he had traveled from the future where he was turned into a half ghoul and knew all about her identity, as well as the ones of the rest of the cafe staff. All that would do would be getting him killed by one of them instead of Rize.

Kaneki descended the steps of the coffee shop passing by a man and a woman arguing. The woman had near black hair with a purple glint to it, tied up in a high ponytail and held a brown leather briefcase which looked well worn from years of use. The man had short, light brown hair which he seemed to run his hands through every minute as sort of nervous tick. Both were wearing business casual, except for the man who was wearing running shoes with his suit.

“I mean can the CCG at least hold off on killing some of our witnisses until we close the case,” the woman said with a frustation filled. “Maybe we might have a higher case closed rate.”

“Oh come on they’re ghouls!” The man sighed. “Maybe they should be eating murder victims and we wouldn’t have that problem. I mean that’s like eating an apple from basket you know was stolen, Kitamura-senpai.”

“Hey, if I was in a position where I was hungry enough, I’d take that apple. Screw the moral implications, I’m hungry, there isn’t anything else for me to eat. Also stop with ‘senpai’ thing. It’s not high school. Also didn’t I ask refer to me by my first name?”

“Look, I get that you hate honorifics, but let me at least be as polite to call you by Kitamura, at least give me that much.”

“Ugh, fine. Just hate that name. I’m my own person and calling each other by family steals of the indivduality of one, doesn’t it? It forces you to be judged by the actions of your family bound to you by blood and law and not you yourself.”

“Look, now’s not the time to go on a tangent about the structure of society. Now why are we here again?”

“I got a lead that could help me win this bet. Those Investigators won’t know what hit them when I tell them I have the identity of the minx while they’re still juggling whether the latest attacks were even done by a female! Trust me, I have a suspect right within one hundred meters of us. And now to be bait and lure this fox out. Plus there’s an extra 10,000 yen if manage to catch her. Might as well try for the extra prize.”

“May I mention that you are walking into your death with this. Those Investigators only made the bet with you because nobody with any ounce of sanity would try this. But your ego seems to overrule any sense of a survial mechinism in your head. You have no way of protecting yourself!”

“Hey, you know the old saying, ‘If it bleeds, you can shot it.’ I’m a cop, that means I have a gun, Yasuda.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not how that quote goes, and how do you know bullets are going to do anything at all?”

Kaneki stopped listening as they walked up the steps of Anteiku, away from him. We’re they talking about Rize? Had the Kitamura woman been stalking out the shop for her just to prove her worth and a bet? He had never seen either those people, but then again, he was only paying attention to Rize. They could have been there the whole time he was the one to draw the stick. Were there more? If he were to somehow escape the fate of the coming Saturday, would nothing really change? Rize would still find someone else to prey on, and Kanou would still get a lab rat. He could be replaced easily in the sceme of things?

Kaneki was left with two choices. Relive the past few months, or force the tragedy onto someone else. He knew he was the type to wish pain on himself instead of others, as a way to thowrt loneliness.

**  
**But still, he knew what was coming, this time he would know what to do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, there was an OC there, shoot me. Not sure if you ever want to see those two characters ever again, but these things kind of happen. You need someone to move the plot along and/or add filler and then you realize you accidentally created an OC that you have a whole back story and personality laid out.  
> Anyways not that I have graduated high school and I have the summer off, it's time I finishing what I've started. Also there might be genderswap fic in the future as well as maybe a Persona crossover fic in the works. Let me know what you think and what you to see in the fic? I seriously ship almost anything so shipping requests are cool. Well it one in the morning and I should really be asleep right now.


End file.
